Turning 65 · Local Kentucky

TRS MEHP Explained: Medicare for Retired Kentucky Teachers

Austin TylerLocal Kentucky Medicare agent · July 24, 2026 · 10 min read

If you taught in Kentucky and you are approaching 65, here is the short version of what happens to your health insurance: your KEHP coverage ends the month you turn 65, and TRS moves you to its Medicare Eligible Health Plan (MEHP), but only if you have enrolled in both Medicare Part A and Part B and turned in the TRS enrollment form first. Do those two things about three months early and the handoff is smooth. Miss them and you can face a gap in coverage at exactly the wrong moment. This guide walks through the whole transition in plain English: the 2026 switch to Humana, the Express Scripts drug side, what your spouse can and cannot do, and the Part A wrinkle that catches some career teachers by surprise.

First, a note on who this is for.This article explains how the TRS system works so you can navigate it confidently. I do not sell or represent the MEHP; it is your earned TRS benefit, and TRS itself (800-618-1687, trs.ky.gov) is the final word on your personal situation. Where a local agent like me genuinely helps a TRS household: coverage for a spouse who is not eligible for the MEHP, and making sure nothing you do accidentally disrupts your TRS coverage. More on both below.

What the MEHP actually is

The Medicare Eligible Health Plan is the Teachers' Retirement System's health coverage for retirees who are eligible for Medicare, which for most people means age 65. It replaces the Kentucky Employees' Health Plan (KEHP) coverage that TRS retirees under 65 carry. The MEHP has two pieces:

Medical coverage, run as a group Medicare Advantage plan. Starting January 1, 2026, Humana administers this side, taking over from UnitedHealthcare. Members received new Humana ID cards for 2026; if you are still carrying only a UnitedHealthcare card, call TRS.
Prescription drug coverage, administered by Express Scripts as the plan's Medicare Part D benefit. Express Scripts continues under a multi-year contract, and drug cards did not change for 2026.

Administrator details verified July 2026 against TRS's published MEHP materials at trs.ky.gov. Re-verify each fall; group contracts change.

Because the MEHP bundles medical and drug coverage on top of Medicare, a retiree in the plan generally does not shop for an individual Medigap policy, Medicare Advantage plan, or Part D drug plan the way a neighbor without retiree coverage would. In most cases, the MEHP plus Parts A and B is the package.

The two things TRS requires before your MEHP starts

1Enroll in Medicare Part A and Part BTRS requires both, with proof of enrollment. You pay the Part B premium (the 2026 standard is $202.90 a month) to Medicare on top of anything you pay TRS. Contact Social Security about three months before your 65th birthday month: online at ssa.gov, by phone at 1-800-772-1213, or at the local Lexington office on Buena Vista Road if you prefer in person. Starting early matters because your KEHP eligibility ends as of the first day of your birthday month whether or not your Medicare is active.

2Submit the TRS MEHP enrollment formEnrollment is not automatic. Complete the MEHP Enrollment Form, which you can handle through TRS's Pathway member portal (mss.trs.ky.gov) or on paper, and send TRS the proof of your Part A and Part B enrollment. If anything about the form is unclear, TRS's counselors at 800-618-1687 walk retirees through it every day.

The Part A wrinkle career teachers need to check early

Here is something unique to teachers that most Medicare articles never mention. Kentucky public school teachers outside the university system do not pay into Social Security, and Medicare payroll taxes only became mandatory for school employees hired after March 1986. That means most teachers hired since then have earned premium-free Part A through their own paychecks. But some long-career teachers hired before the mid-1980s never paid enough Medicare tax to qualify on their own record.

If that might be you, do two things well before 65. First, check whether you qualify through a spouse's work record: a current spouse, an ex-spouse after a 10-year marriage, or a deceased spouse can each make you eligible for premium-free Part A. Second, call TRS: the system has specific guidance for members without premium-free Part A, and your enrollment path and costs are different. Do not simply skip Part A; the MEHP requires it, and sorting this out takes lead time.

One more piece of good news on the Social Security front: the Social Security Fairness Act repealed the WEP and GPO rules that used to shrink or wipe out Social Security benefits for teachers and their spouses. If you wrote off a spousal or survivor benefit years ago, it is worth re-checking what you are owed.

What changed for 2026 (and what to watch each fall)

The headline 2026 change was the administrator switch: Humana replaced UnitedHealthcare on the medical side effective January 1, 2026. For most members that meant a new ID card and new customer-service contacts, not a change in the basic structure. The drug side stayed with Express Scripts.

Going forward, the rhythm to remember is: MEHP open enrollment generally runs November 1 to December 7 for coverage starting January 1, and if you are already enrolled and changing nothing, you do not need to act; your coverage continues. (TRS retirees under 65 on KEHP have their own, earlier open-enrollment window in October.) Even in years you change nothing, give any TRS mailings a five-minute read each fall; administrator switches like the 2026 one arrive exactly that way.

Spouses: the rule that surprises almost every TRS household

Medicare-eligible spouses can be covered under the MEHP, but the enrollment rule is stricter than people expect: a spouse generally can only be added when there is a TRS qualifying event, such as losing other coverage. Spouses cannot simply be added during the regular open enrollment window the way the retiree's own elections work.

In practice, this creates two common situations I see in Lexington-area TRS households:

The spouse who missed the window. If a qualifying event passes and the spouse is not added, they need an individual plan: Original Medicare with a Medigap supplement and a Part D plan, or a Medicare Advantage plan. Which fits depends on their doctors, prescriptions, and budget, and in Fayette County alone there are 47 Advantage plans to sort through.
The younger spouse. When the teacher moves to the MEHP at 65, a under-65 spouse's coverage situation changes too. Map out the spouse's bridge to their own Medicare eligibility before the teacher's transition, not after.

Three mistakes to avoid

1Enrolling in an outside Medicare plan without checking firstJoining an individual Medicare Advantage or Part D plan can conflict with group retiree coverage like the MEHP, because Medicare only lets you hold one Advantage or drug plan at a time. Before you sign anything a TV ad or mailer offers, call TRS and ask how it affects your MEHP. This is the single most expensive mistake a TRS retiree can make in October.

2Delaying Part B because Medicare feels optionalFor MEHP coverage it is not optional, and beyond TRS, late Part B enrollment carries a lifetime penalty. If you plan to keep working past 65 for an employer with group coverage, the timing rules differ, so read the working-past-65 guide and talk to TRS before deciding to wait.

3Starting the process the month you turn 65Social Security processing takes time, TRS needs proof of both parts, and KEHP ends on schedule regardless. Three months early is the comfortable pace; starting late is how coverage gaps happen.

Your simple timeline

4 months before 65: confirm your Part A status (own record or spouse's). If premium-free Part A is in doubt, call TRS and Social Security now.
3 months before: apply for Part A and Part B with Social Security. Watch for your Medicare card.
2 months before: submit the MEHP enrollment form and Medicare proof to TRS via Pathway or mail. Plan the spouse's coverage if they are not MEHP-eligible.
Birthday month: KEHP ends, MEHP begins. Check that your Humana and Express Scripts cards arrived and your doctors have the new information.
Every fall: read TRS's open-enrollment mailings (Nov 1 to Dec 7 window), even when you plan no changes.

Common questions

What is the TRS MEHP?

The Medicare Eligible Health Plan (MEHP) is the Teachers' Retirement System of Kentucky's health coverage for Medicare-eligible retirees, generally at age 65. It bundles medical coverage (administered by Humana as a group Medicare Advantage plan starting January 1, 2026, replacing UnitedHealthcare) with prescription drug coverage administered by Express Scripts. To be covered, you must enroll in both Medicare Part A and Part B and submit a TRS MEHP enrollment form.

Do retired Kentucky teachers have to sign up for Medicare Part B for the MEHP?

Yes. TRS requires enrollment in both Medicare Part A and Part B, with proof of enrollment, before MEHP coverage begins. You pay the Part B premium ($202.90 per month standard in 2026) to Medicare, and TRS recommends contacting Social Security about three months before your 65th birthday month so both parts are active when your KEHP coverage ends.

What happened to the MEHP in 2026?

The medical side of the MEHP switched administrators: Humana replaced UnitedHealthcare effective January 1, 2026, and members received new Humana ID cards. Prescription drug coverage stayed with Express Scripts under a multi-year contract, so drug cards did not change. Benefits questions should go to TRS at 800-618-1687 or the plan administrators.

Can my spouse be on the TRS MEHP?

Medicare-eligible spouses can be covered in the MEHP, but with a catch: spouses can generally only enroll when there is a TRS qualifying event, not during the regular open enrollment window. If your spouse misses their window or is not eligible, they will need their own individual Medicare coverage, which is where comparing Medigap and Medicare Advantage options matters.

What if a teacher is not eligible for premium-free Medicare Part A?

Kentucky teachers outside the university system do not pay into Social Security, and Medicare payroll taxes only became mandatory for teachers hired after March 1986. Some long-career teachers hired before then do not qualify for premium-free Part A on their own work record. Many still qualify through a current, former, or deceased spouse's work record. If you are not sure of your Part A status, check with Social Security and call TRS well before you turn 65, because your enrollment path and costs are different and TRS has specific guidance for this situation.

A TRS household with a spouse who needs their own plan? That is the piece I can actually help with. Get a free comparison of the Medigap and Advantage options for the non-TRS spouse, built around their doctors and prescriptions, with the teacher's MEHP left untouched.

Quick recap

At 65, TRS retirees move from KEHP to the Medicare Eligible Health Plan (MEHP), which requires enrolling in Medicare Parts A and B and submitting a TRS enrollment form. Start about three months early.

For 2026, Humana replaced UnitedHealthcare as the MEHP's medical administrator (new ID cards), while Express Scripts continues to run the drug coverage.

Some career teachers hired before March 1986 lack premium-free Part A because Kentucky teachers do not pay into Social Security. Check your status, and a spouse's record, well before 65, and call TRS if premium-free Part A is in doubt.

Medicare-eligible spouses can join the MEHP only with a TRS qualifying event, not during open enrollment. Spouses outside the plan need their own individual Medicare coverage.

Never join an outside Medicare Advantage or Part D plan without calling TRS first, since holding an individual plan can conflict with group retiree coverage.

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This article is general information, not advice for your specific situation, and it is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Kentucky. MEHP rules, administrators, and dates reflect TRS's published materials as verified in July 2026 and can change; confirm your personal situation with TRS at 800-618-1687 or trs.ky.gov before making decisions. Medicare figures are for 2026 per CMS. Tyler Insurance Group is not connected with or endorsed by the U.S. government or the federal Medicare program. We do not offer every plan available in your area. Currently we represent 6 organizations which offer 158 products in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov, 1-800-MEDICARE, or your local State Health Insurance Program (SHIP) to get information on all of your options.